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310 Electrical Failure on Sat Oct 24, 2009 9:21 pm
It was a dark night in the Nevada desert. I was working the Local Control (Las Vegas Tower) position in the Air Traffic Control Tower at McCarran airport. Around 11:00 PM and the traffic was not busy. I had a TWA B-727 on a 3 mile final for runway 25, and the next arrival was a Delta DC-87 just passing abeam BLD on a 15 mile final approach. It was in the era during which Radar Approach and Departure Control was operated from the Terminal Radar Control facility on the 2nd floor and there was no radar brite display in tower. The South Arrival Controller called me on the intercom and asked if I could see an aircraft about 5 miles Southeast of the airport. I replied "negative". He explained that he had been tracking the primary target (no transponder data) and it looked like it could be on a base leg for runway 25. I told him I would watch for it but there was nothing visible.
A couple of minutes later the Radar Controller called me and told me it looked like it had turned onto a 3 mile final approach for runway 25. At this time Delta was about 7 miles out on final. It is not at all unusual to see an unidentified aircraft target on radar, but I was watching to see what was happening. I never saw the Cessna 310, without lights land on runway 25 and skid to a stop with no landing gear. I told the Delta flight of the problem and requested that he make a low pass over the runway with landing lights on and see if he could spot any obstruction. He did. The pilot reported a disabled aircraft on the runway.
I called out the "crash crew" and started setting up arrivals and departures on runway 19L. A short time later we made contact with the pilot of the 310. He told us he and his wife had exited his aircraft on the runway after skidding to a stop. When he saw the DC-8 on final with landing lights on, he knew it was going to land and crash into his aircraft. He and his wife "ran for their lives" out into the desert adjacent to the runway. We never convinced him that we had it under "control."
What could the pilot have done different. If the emergency situation could have permitted, he might have made a low pass right past the Control Tower where we could have heard and become aware of his position. Or perhaps he could have landed on an unused taxiway, if he was familiar with the airport. Or perhaps he could have used another runway that was not in service for Air Carrier arrivals.
What could ATC have done different. I could have called the "crash crew" earlier and had them make a sweep of the runway. I could have changed the traffic to Runway 19L earlier, instead of letting a Heavy DC-8 continue an approach to runway 25.
We were all very fortunate that the system was working together that night to prevent what could have been a real catastrophe.
A couple of minutes later the Radar Controller called me and told me it looked like it had turned onto a 3 mile final approach for runway 25. At this time Delta was about 7 miles out on final. It is not at all unusual to see an unidentified aircraft target on radar, but I was watching to see what was happening. I never saw the Cessna 310, without lights land on runway 25 and skid to a stop with no landing gear. I told the Delta flight of the problem and requested that he make a low pass over the runway with landing lights on and see if he could spot any obstruction. He did. The pilot reported a disabled aircraft on the runway.
I called out the "crash crew" and started setting up arrivals and departures on runway 19L. A short time later we made contact with the pilot of the 310. He told us he and his wife had exited his aircraft on the runway after skidding to a stop. When he saw the DC-8 on final with landing lights on, he knew it was going to land and crash into his aircraft. He and his wife "ran for their lives" out into the desert adjacent to the runway. We never convinced him that we had it under "control."
What could the pilot have done different. If the emergency situation could have permitted, he might have made a low pass right past the Control Tower where we could have heard and become aware of his position. Or perhaps he could have landed on an unused taxiway, if he was familiar with the airport. Or perhaps he could have used another runway that was not in service for Air Carrier arrivals.
What could ATC have done different. I could have called the "crash crew" earlier and had them make a sweep of the runway. I could have changed the traffic to Runway 19L earlier, instead of letting a Heavy DC-8 continue an approach to runway 25.
We were all very fortunate that the system was working together that night to prevent what could have been a real catastrophe.
